It’s incredibly rare that I cook or bake something and share it this quickly, but these scones were seriously incredible and I just couldn’t wait! Peaches are so sweet and juicy right now it’s hard to make them last long enough for baking, but trust me, it’s worth saving a few for these peach cobbler scones – you’re going to love them!
This is a two-step process: first you make a buttermilk scone dough, and then you use that dough to enclose your peach slices. Just before throwing them in the oven, you sprinkle the scones with a generous layer of cinnamon-sugar to make them extra special! Magic happens as they bake – the dough rises and puffs to yield flaky layers of tender dough with those gorgeous peaches sandwiched in the middle. The aroma as these peach cobbler scones bake will drive you crazy, it’s so heavenly! And best of all, the scones taste even better than they smell. They’d be perfect for breakfast, brunch, or, frankly, even dessert. Just promise me you’ll try them before peach season is over, ok?
By Tracey
Peach Cobbler Scones
adapted from Joy the Baker
(Note: if it any point the dough becomes too soft to work with, just throw it in the refrigerator for 10 or 15 minutes, then resume.)
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup cold buttermilk (plus extra for brushing)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 ripe peaches, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and toss to coat, then use a pastry cutter to cut the butter cubes into the dry ingredients until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal – there shouldn’t be any pieces of butter larger than peas. In a measuring cup, use a fork to beat together the egg, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and use a fork to gently mix until a rough dough comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead gently a few times, just to bring the dough together (don’t overwork the dough – you want to handle it as little as possible). Roll the dough into a 12×10-inch rectangle. Brush half of the surface of the dough with a thin layer of buttermilk. Place the peach slices in a single layer over the dough you just brushed with the buttermilk. Lift the opposite side of the dough and fold it over the peaches so they’re completely covered; press the dough gently to adhere. Cut into eight equal pieces and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. (I refrigerated my scones for about 20 minutes at this point because the dough was quite soft.)
Brush the top of each scone with a little bit of buttermilk, then generously sprinkle each one with some of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the tops of the scones are golden brown and the edges of the dough don’t look wet or gooey. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the scones cool for a few minutes before serving.
These scones are best shortly after baking. If you want to prep ahead, shape and cut the dough, then freeze the unbaked scones. Don’t defrost before baking, just add a few minutes to the baking time.
Makes 8 large scones.
